Molon Labe is a classical Greek phrase meaning “Come and take [them].” And 2nd Amendment enthusiasts have adopted the phrase as a way to stand up to their imagined threat of the government coming to take away their guns.

The obvious implication is that gun lovers must stand up to the government.

Molon Labe is attributed to Spartan King Leonidas who defiantly stood up to an order by the Persian King requiring his Greek army to give up their weapons. He was trying to defend the Greek cities against an invasion by the Persians at a place called Thermopylae. And, even though the Greek army was massively outnumbered, they still stood firm and responded with Molon Labe.

So now, all these years later, gun lovers have adopted the phrase as their own. They are determined to never give up their guns and are challenging the government to just dare and try to confiscate their beloved weapons.